


A Tale of Monsters (and Frisk)

by kampix



Series: AToM(aF) [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Families of Choice, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Hurt/Comfort, Misgendering, Physical Abuse, Post-Pacifist Route, Selectively Mute Frisk, nothing graphic though, possible spoilers for all routes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 23:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5224517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kampix/pseuds/kampix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The monsters were on the surface again, there would be no more resets and everyone was alive, but... What happens next? Doesn't it seem a bit too easy?</p><p>Surely, a lot happened between the monsters first steps out and the last we saw of them. And what about Frisk's original family?...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... this was supposed to be a short story about Frisk and sign language. I think the words "it kinda grew a bit" don't exactly cover it...

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming... On days like these, the whole village was enjoying the weather.

...And then a skeleton walked in.

Well, he didn't so much walked in as strolled in excitedly, only to stand in the middle of the main street like it was a normal occurrence. Now, no matter where they were on the road, it was a matter of seconds before every human noticed the bony figure. Well, it was hard not to...

Everyone around gathered in front of the closest houses to the skeleton, curious, but ready to bolt to safety at any moment. Most of the adults collected their children on the way as well; to place themselves between their kids and the newcomer.

"GREETINGS HUMANS, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. IT IS MY DUTY AS THE OFFICIAL MASCOT OF THE MONSTERS TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION." The adults froze. The skeleton had said he was a monster.

Papyrus waited a few moments for a reaction, then spoke again.

"IS IT WORKING? HAVE I IMPRESSED YOU POSITIVELY YET?"

No one answered. The kids were too busy being impressed. The adults looked at each other: they were all thinking back on their history classes...

They had all learned that, before their time, the humans shared the surface with monsters: a very powerful race. As time went on, this other race became too dangerous and humans had no other choice but to fight. After a difficult battle, their ancestors vanquished the monsters to the underground, never to return.

But, if monsters really were back, what should they do? Some of them remembered a story that went around, years ago, when a monster broke free and killed a child. Was it going to be the same this time? No one had the time to decide anything however, before a loud voice rang out; the skeleton had noticed something.

"OH NO, A SMALL HUMAN HAS FALLEN."

In unison, everyone turned their head to see that one of the kids still on the street had fallen off their bike, distracted by the new arriving. They were kneeling on the ground, sniffling, tears in their eyes.

Paryrus made his way to the child almost instantly and, before anyone could react, sat down and inspected the kid's hands and knees with concern. The kid in question didn't react much. They looked at Papyrus wide-eyed, unsure whether to be frightened or in awe of having a skeleton fuss over them.

"OH NO! SMALL HUMAN, YOU APPEAR TO HAVE INJURED YOURSELF. HOWEVER, WORRY NOT; FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALWAYS PREPARED."

The humans stared, unmoving and huddled with their children, as the skeleton -who was standing up again, his cape somehow blowing in a sudden breeze- whipped out a small box from seemingly nowhere. He then crouched next to the child and opened the box. In his hands, he was now displaying an impressive amount of what appeared to be strips of paper.

"WOULD YOU PREFER A BANDAGE WITH BUNNIES OR SNAILS ON IT? I ACQUIRED THEM FOR MY COOL HUMAN FRIEND, BUT I'M CERTAIN THEY WOULD SHARE."

The humans were confused, to say the least.

Then, moments later, the child was running to their father, beaming despite their scratches and slightly puffy eyes, to show off their new bandage happily. They'd made their mind about Papyrus after all.

"Look, dad! The nice skeleton gave me this for my knee," they said, pointing towards Papyrus, who waved at the both of them in return. "It's got cool snails on it, look."

With that, the spell was broken and the humans standing in the street around Papyrus seemed to realize they could move. Some took their child by the hand and fled inside their homes, but most of the town's folk remained where they were, now intrigued, and a lot less frightened.

Sans, who had used a shortcut to match Papyrus speed, had observed the whole scenario unfold from behind the bushes on someone's lawn. 

At some point, he thought he'd have to get involved, but it looked like his brother had handled the situation surprisingly well. Although, Sans realized, he should probably enter the scene now. Papyrus, as cool as he was, wasn't very good with explanations; he had the potential to generate an enormous misunderstanding. Sans was already surprised Undyne had yet to appear. That could have been bad. He'd probably have Alphys to thank for it later.

Sans headed towards his brother with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He walked at a relaxed pace -which startled a good few humans on the way; they could have sworn there was no other monster amongst them.

"hey bro, explained everything already?"

Papyrus, glad to have company, turned to face him with a smile.

"I HAVE NOT YET EXPLAINED EVERYTHING, BUT I DID MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION. I HAVE EVEN ALREADY MADE FRIENDS WITH A TINY HUMAN." The skeleton then stopped talking. He frowned, noticing he hadn't introduced Sans, and adressed himself to the very small crowd around them.

"HUMANS, THIS IS SANS, MY BROTHER. HE IS NOT DANGEROUS, BUT I WOULD ADVISE NOT LISTENING TO HIM FOR TOO LONG OR HE WILL START MAKING TERRIBLE PUNS."

"yep, that's pretty much it. hey paps, i think undyne is almost here."

"REALLY? THEN THAT MEANS I'LL NEED TO PREPARE AN INTRODUCTION FOR HER TOO."

"that's great bro, but don't you think it'd be better for Undyne to arrive after the explanations. she might not make as good an impression as you."

Papyrus started sweating slightly, considering it. "THAT'S TRUE. I WILL GO AND SLOW HER DOWN WHILE YOU EXPLAIN. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, PUT MY TRUST IN YOU, BROTHER, TO DO THIS TASK WITH EFFICIENCY."

It wasn't really a question and Papyrus was almost gone already, but Sans answered nonetheless.

"sans problem, bro."

He waited, snickering for a moment when he heard an indignant cry of "SANS!!" in the distance. Then, with nothing else in the way, Sans turned his attention towards the humans. 

He noticed that, while some still looked at him suspiciously, most of them were smiling. Their fear seemed to have lessened with the short discussion between the two skeletons. That was good, Sans thought. It would make his job even easier.

"so, now that my brother's gone, how about i explain everything."


	2. EXPOSITION

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I write one shots a lot more than multi chapter stories. But when I do write longer stories, I usually need to write a bit more exposition than anything in an early chapter to help situate the rest of the story, which would explain the title.

The human world, as monsters learned early on, was full of contradictions. For example, if humans were in danger on the outside of what was called their "country" (a bit like Hotland or Waterfall, Alphys told them, but bigger and with Kings, or Queens, or whatever they were called in every single one), said country would usually take some time and persuasion before helping if there was nothing to be gained (which Undyne thought was complete bullshit).  
  
But, if any potential threat was menacing humans inside the country, or there was profit to be made, well... Let's just say the monsters very quickly met the mayor of the village; and the minister of the country; and the army...  
  
In fact, in under twenty-four hours, the whole world knew of the monsters' return and meetings with the government and the UN were in process.  
  
At first, officials weren't too keen on keeping Frisk as the monsters' ambassador. They all thought a child would be inept at dealing with the responsibilities it implied. Not to mention the kid hadn't spoken once. Granted, they could write, but it made the whole process even more tedious.  
  
A few of them had tried taking the issue with the King and Queen of monsters, but they'd been turned around right away (Toriel thought it was all complete bullshit. Asgore agreed, silently, from a distance, sending slightly worried glances between his ex-wife and anyone who dared follow through with their opinion).  
  
This argument had not lasted very long... Besides, there was no one else who knew monsters well enough to fulfill the job. (It also helped a lot that Sans had suggested Papyrus could read aloud what Frisk wrote. The humans were reluctant at first, but no one could deny that the tall skeleton couldn't have lied to save his life. Papyrus was really happy to be helping and it all made the technicians immensely glad too: they didn't even need to rig up another microphone.)  
  
After that was dealt with, things moved pretty fast. The monsters seemed peaceful enough to the humans, who were very keen to keep it this way, and so, accommodations were provided with minimal fuss.  
  
There were a good few villages and cities near mount Ebott with empty houses so it was agreed that they would be loaned to the monsters until they were official citizens and could manage on their own. There were even a lot of humans who offered to share their home for a certain amount of time.  
  
In the meantime, necessities like food (it wasn't much more than the bare minimum though) would be provided by the government and the UN, but monsters were told that they were highly encouraged to find a job as soon as they could or to look for other donations on their own (Mettaton, of course, immediately jumped on the occasion; then posed for the occasion; then winked at a potential public. He earned 30$ from a mesmerized chairman... and a phone number).  
  
In the end, the relocation of the monsters didn't take too much time and was over with minimal incidents. There was some guy (he'd offered to share his apartment) who got mildly burned when they shook hands with their new roommate. But, that was because he'd been a bit too overjoyed at having someone to share his place with and forgot the monster in question was actually made of fire.   
  
Then, there was an old lady that had needed rescue by at least a dozen people. She'd been lovingly assaulted by a giant dog in armor as well as... another dog? They weren't too sure. Nonetheless, a lot of efforts were needed to scoop up the two barking piles of happiness and get them to stand back just a bit. (Actually all those people who helped didn't accomplish anything. It's just that no one noticed Frisk had thrown the dogs a stick. They were sure to give it to the old woman afterwards: she would need it.)  
  
Both stories had ended quite well though: the first guy was really late for his electricity bill anyway and the old lady was only too happy to take care of the dogs. Her own three dogs often felt lonely, she told a journalist on the scene.  
  
...She even came back twenty minutes later, as an afterthought it seemed, with a caravan, and ended up bringing every single dog home with her (Frisk gave her two more sticks, just in case).  
  
While the relocation went quite fast, it still took a while for Frisk and their family to get settled somewhere. Well, that part was of their own doing though. They had agreed between them to make sure every other monster would have a home before they did.  
  
When their turn came, Frisk, Toriel, Sans and Papyrus were offered a small, but comfortable house to share. Only two streets away, Undyne and Alphys would share a small apartment. Asgore was also given one, just across the girls'.  
  
It wasn't a bad arrangement at all, they figured. When it came down to it, it wasn't much, but they were living on the surface and they had a place to call home.


	3. Family Gatherings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was a really challenging chapter to write. But hey, I managed. It's also pretty much the longest chapter I've ever written, for anything, ever. So there you go. On an other note, I decided to change the rating just in case. I do go over some darker themes after all even if nothing really is going to be explicit.

A week had passed since the day on which monsters made their reappearance on the surface. Things had been a bit hectic, but by the weekend, it was all calming down a bit. Monsters definitely weren’t accepted by all and relations were still tense, but everyone was making an effort at least.

On this slow Saturday evening, Papyrus was honing his culinary skills in the kitchen. He’d been at it all day actually. The skeleton had only intended on making spaghetti for dinner –Papyrus had never made any for the Queen before, so he'd woken up a few hours early to make sure everything was perfect. After that, he expected to spend the rest of the day training outside.

It would have been a perfect plan except, as soon as one of the noodles started burning a little (ok, there were actual flames on it, but it was just the one pasta), Toriel barged in at high speed and almost crashed into the opposing wall. Her arms were packed with bandages, blankets, a box of baking soda, a water bottle, and a fire extinguisher.

Papyrus wasn’t sure what the Queen intended to do with those objects, but that was her business.

“YOU'RE UP EARLY YOUR MAJESTY. WOULD YOU CARE TO JOIN ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, AS I PREPARE DINNER?” He stood there watching her, while Toriel’s eyes kept going back and forth between him and the flaming noodle. She sighed.

“Good morning to you too Papyrus…” She decided to take a not so wild guess. “Was it Undyne who trained you?”

“WHY YES, SHE DID YOUR MAJESTY. HOW DID YOU GUESS?”

Toriel examined the room. There were evidences of a very thorough cleaning and she couldn’t help but stare at the cooking pot. How that one noodle was still on fire, she had no idea. She searched for an appropriate word.

“Well, it is very… passionate.” Toriel put down on the dining table every item she still held in her arms. Then, without saying a word, she walked up next to Papyrus and put out the flaming pasta with her thumb and index fingers. “However, while it is a truly, interesting, way to cook, there is another way to make pasta.”

Papyrus seemed eager to know all about this mysterious technique. “I WAS NOT AWARE IT WAS POSSIBLE TO COOK WITH SOMETHING OTHER THAN PASSION. WHAT IS THIS OTHER, MYSTERIOUS WAY?”

Toriel smiled. “Love of course, silly.”

Papyrus reflected upon that idea for a moment.

“MAKING PASTA USING PASSION IS A SKILL THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE WELL MASTERED. BUT, THRUTHFULLY, IT IS A BIT,” he started sweating slightly, “HASARD INDUCING. PERHAPS LOVE WOULD BE SAFER.”

The Queen subtly turned off the stove.

“Papyrus, would you like me to show you how to do it?”

The skeleton positively sparkled. “REALLY? WOWIE! MY PASTA MAKING SKILLS WILL BECOME EVEN GREATER THAN BEFORE. NYEH HEH HEH!”

And that was how Papyrus and Toriel ended up cooking for the whole day. Papyrus was a fast learner, but he insisted on practicing his new found ability. Toriel stayed with him for a long time. Sans and Frisk also joined them at some point. Somehow though, they both left right before it was time to clean up a bit. How curious…

Admittedly, the mess kind of was Papyrus’ fault, but Sans had definitely had a hand to play in this (“heh, looks like you’ve really broadened your horizons, bro. think of all the new pastabilities.”).

Toriel finally left when it became time to put Frisk to bed. Then, trusting Papyrus would not burn down the house, she sat down in the living room to watch television with Sans.

That was when someone knocked on the door.

The kitchen was only a room away from the lobby, so Papyrus went to answer it; wiping his hands on a towel and putting back on his gloves beforehand. There, in front of him, stood three humans; one whose job, he’d recently learned, was the human equivalent of a royal guard, while the other two looked like they might be a couple.  
"Good evening... sir, I'm Officer Peterson." The man showed the skeleton his badge.

"GREETINGS HUMANS, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS-"

Seemingly taking this for an invitation, the policeman crossed the threshold before the skeleton could go on, followed closely by the two others.

Was it a human custom to enter someone's home before an invitation was given? Papyrus couldn't have said; he'd never had human guests before (except for Frisk, but that was different). Nevertheless, he went to close the door behind them and indicated a bench in the lobby where they could all sit down.

They didn't. The trio ignored him completely, their expressions hard to decipher. Frankly, while he prided himself on being a very good host, Papyrus was a bit at a loss here.

"...WELL, AS I WAS SAYING, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD REQUIRE THE GREAT PAPYRUS' ASSISTANCE WITH? OR DID YOU ARRIVE HERE BY MISTAKE, MISLEAD BY THE FRAGRANT AROMA OF MY COOKING?"

He looked hopeful, and a bit nervous. The humans looked... at each other with doubtful expressions. Why would a skeleton be cooking? That was a bit pointless, wasn't it?

"If you could just get those in charge of the house to come here. There are some things we need to discuss with them."

Papyrus had the feeling the policeman did not often spent time on social pleasantries. Well, that was alright, the skeleton figured. He could adapt easily. If his guests liked getting down to business as soon as possible, he would do his best as their host to please them.

“THE QUEEN OWNS THE HOUSE, BUT MY BROTHER AND I ARE ALSO IN CHARGE OF THE HOUSE. ALTHOUGH, I'M NOT CERTAIN WHAT EXACTLY MY BROTHER IS IN CHARGE OF... NO MATTER. PLEASE REMAIN HERE, HUMANS, WHILE I SEEK THEM OUT FOR YOU."

“No need Papyrus, I have heard you talking.” Toriel entered the room, but she stopped for a moment and stuck her head back out through the archway to call for Sans. Everyone waited for the short skeleton’s arrival, which, all things considered, ended up being a very short wait. Then, they continued the discussion.

“Has a problem arisen with the monsters? Because, if that is the case, I have not heard anything from Asgore.” Toriel really hoped none of her people had gotten themselves into trouble. That was the last thing they needed right now.

“It’s nothing of the sort, ma’am.” The policeman didn’t look very comfortable when using titles. “The only business we have is with you and your family.” There was a pause. “We also know you live with a human child.” The monsters were getting a bit suspicious now. They didn’t seem to be talking about Frisk as the monsters’ ambassador. “I would like you to bring them here before this goes any further.”

Toriel protested. “I have only put them to bed a few minutes ago. It would not be right to disrupt their sleep.”

“Ma’am, don’t make me repeat that as an order.” The officer tried to make himself appear more stern than he’d been, but he sounded a bit nervous nonetheless. Toriel and Papyrus were a lot more imposing than him after all.

Monsters and humans stared at each other, standing in two opposing lines amidst the lobby. Sensing the tension that was beginning to build, Papyrus spoke up.

“YOUR MAJESTY, MY BROTHER AND I WILL KEEP THE HUMANS COMPANY SO THAT YOU MAY BRING OUR HUMAN FRIEND HERE. WORRY NOT, I SHALL MAKE SURE SANS IS A PERFECT HOST.”

Toriel hesitated still… then gave up. She turned on her heels and exited the lobby.

They didn't wait long, but it was a really long wait. Finally, Toriel returned, guiding a sleepy Frisk behind her by the hand.

Frisk didn't look too happy to be up at this hour. Clad in their skeleton patterned onesie, they rubbed at their eyes, decidedly grumpy.

"alright, the kid's here too. so, whaddya want?" Sans hadn't planned on talking, but this was taking way too much time. At this point, saying something to get this over with would be quicker.

The police officer didn't seem to appreciate his tone and ignored Sans because of it, but he still got to the point like suggested.

"I'm here to inform you that the Ritcher family," he indicated the couple, "has made some very serious accusations about you monsters. They reported to us, saying that you are currently keeping their child with you, without their consent or any legal permission."

To the three monsters, those words felt like a ton of bricks. They turned their heads sharply towards Frisk, horrified. When the human child had said they had nowhere to be, they'd all just assumed Frisk had no family. This was not good.

Right in front of them, in great contrast to a few seconds ago, Frisk looked completely awake now. A bit too awake. Like they'd been ripped from a wonderful dream.

Completely oblivious to almost everything happening around them at this exact moment, Frisk stared at a single thing: the human couple. Frisk hadn't really noticed them before. But now, it was all they could see.

Sans wasn't too sure what to make of the kid's expression. Not that it was hard to read... He was getting worried. It was probably the most anxious he'd ever seen them.

Frisk's small head was shaking almost imperceptibly from left to right. At their side, the child's hands kept balling up in the air around them before unclenching, over and over. Like they needed something comforting to grip.

As if that wasn't enough, the man continued his declaration.

"If the child is recognized as Mr. and Mrs. Ritcher's -and from the photographs and descriptions we have of them, it's pretty evident that they are- they will be returned immediately to their rightful parents. It's best none of you resist. The Ritchers have already been kind enough not to take you to court; they judged you must have experienced culture shock."

No one so much as took a breath while he spoke. Not that Toriel or the skeleton brothers really could afterwards. It felt like the air had been punched out of them.

Just like that. They wanted to take her child away just like that. Toriel felt torn apart.

But... if Frisk had asked to stay, had even called her mother and had never once mentioned their biological parents, there must be a reason right? If her child was so much better with their human parents, why didn't it feel right?

Toriel didn't feel like it was just possessiveness on her side either. Frisk looked terrible. They were really agitated and, at the same time, their face seemed blank, devoid of expression. She did not like this. At all.

The Queen of monsters got in front of Frisk, glaring in barely contained disgust at the human couple. Then she faced the child, her face softening in an instant, as warm and comforting as she could muster.

She crouched in front of them, cradling their small hands in her big ones and made certain she hid all three humans from Frisk's line of sight with her body.

"Are you alright, my child?" Frisk didn't really answer. "It is I, Toriel, you are safe with me." The humans clearly didn't appreciate that sentence, but Frisk was slowly becoming a bit more aware of her presence so, it didn't matter.

Toriel would have continued except, the officer stepped forward, reaching out with a hand: an obvious warning. Well, she didn't see it, but she heard him.

"Ma'am, I'll have to ask you to step away from the child."

Still crouching, Toriel rose slowly, deeply hurt and a bit murderous. She didn't bother turning around.

The Queen spoke, her voice low.

"Are you implying I would ever cause them harm?" Her voice wavered slightly on the last word.

No one answered.

Papyrus could see the internal conflict playing out in Toriel's head. She was thinking back on something she would rather forget. The skeleton didn't know what, but, right now, he really wished he knew how to fix this situation.

Part of him hated the idea of having a relation with humans that was less than friendly. Another part of him also knew that there was a lot at stake here.

Taking a deep breath, Toriel stepped back from Frisk, reluctantly. Then, she gently pried away the small hands that were now clutching at her dress. The whole time, but afterwards too, she made sure to stay in Frisk's line of sight at any moment.

Humans and monsters, all had watched intently as the scene unfolded. Frisk felt crushed by their stares.

Not wanting the humans to get the wrong idea about Toriel, Papyrus spoke up.

"FRET NOT HUMANS." The tall skeleton's voice was softer than usual, but, in the terribly quiet room, it sounded even louder than normal. "THE QUEEN HAS VERY SOFT FUR. SHE WOULD NOT HURT FRISK MERELY BY TOUCHING THEM."

Sans looked away at that. He didn't have the heart to tell Papyrus that the man meant Toriel would do it on purpose.

As it was, Sans wasn't the only one to react at his brother's words. Everyone could see that, for some reason, the woman had been really offended when Papyrus had said "Frisk"... They didn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"Those monsters kidnapped my little girl and now this!" Toriel raised a questioning eyebrow. Was she hearing this correctly? "They're forcing my baby to dress up..." She glanced at Frisk's pajamas disdainfully. “as a boy and calling her this awful name." Toriel could do nothing but gaze at the human lady, eyes wide with disbelief. And she thought it had been awful when only the policeman was talking...

Oblivious to the stares she was getting, the woman continued. It sounded as if she was telling the officer a really important confession.

"I bet they thought they could hide my Laura with a fake identity." Her voice was hard to hear, but just loud enough that the three monsters had understood each word perfectly. She knew. That was the point.

This was all so wrong, Papyrus thought. Frisk had to know what their own name was. Perhaps the humans were mistaken after all? He didn't think it was impossible. Unlike monsters, humans looked so much alike. Mistakes could always be made.

"HUMANS, I BELIEVE IT'S POSSIBLE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE RIGHT HOUSE. FOR YOU SEE, FRISK HERE-"

The woman cut him off with a look of distaste. Taken aback, the skeleton went completely silent. "They're doing it again. Trying to trick us with their magic no doubt. Well that won't work on me."

She held onto her husband -who still hadn't uttered a single word- by the arm, supressing a sob with the back of her hand. "Oh, I can't bear to think what other horrible things they could have done to my precious darling."

Sans' clenched hands were trembling. How dare she say things like that! The fact that they were Frisk's rightful parents, maybe, but this! And that policeman's no better, he thought. He's just enjoying the show!

Papyrus noticed his brother's fury and gently rested a hand on the short skeleton's shoulder. Sans anchored himself to that feeling; desperately trying to keep himself in check. He could feel magic crackling near his left eye socket.

How could anyone ever fall for that kind of bullshit talk. From what he'd witnessed, Sans guessed the couple had just gone to get help from the most close-minded policeman they could find. It probably hadn't been a hard find either.

Right now, giving Frisk away to the two humans was the last thing he'd ever want to do. And not just because he considered the monsters to be the child's family. Most of it was because, from what he'd just heard and seen, it all seemed like those humans didn't want their child back, they wanted their propriety back.

But... there was nothing they could do about it. And he knew, from Toriel's disgusted expression, that she was thinking about the same thing.

With an officer on their side... If those two really were Frisk's biological parents, no matter if they were terrible at it or not, resisting would only endanger the peaceful relations between the two races. Besides, they had no real proof that the couple weren't suited to raise Frisk, just a gut feeling, and monsters weren't trusted by many, so no one would even bother listening to them.

Suffice to say, by this point; the tension in the room was so thick it would probably have taken an axe to cut through it. Each side seemed ready to tear at each other.

"Don't hurt them! I am Laura Ritcher, but don't hurt them. They took care of me when I was underground, that's all. They're nice people, please don't hurt them."

The urgent plea left the monsters frozen in shock. That was Frisk's voice. Frisk had just about never spoken as much in one go... And none of them ever heard the child's voice when there was strangers around...

It must have taken just about all the determination they had to say that. Sans had a feeling he knew how incredible an amount that was.

The fact that Frisk had spoken however, also meant that this was it. Things were settled. And Frisk was suddenly leaving. For good.

The man, who hadn't said a single word since he'd entered, took Frisk's hand. The kid looked like they might run away, but they didn't. They barely shivered at the contact.

The next few minutes saw Frisk being taken away without any goodbyes, while the officer told the monsters were they stood with the law.

None of the monsters really registered any of it. Papyrus had noted everything down methodically, but really, his heart wasn't into it for one second. Toriel's facade of strenght was crumbling away and, pressed against his brother's side, Sans had even lost his perpetual grin.

Finally, the door closed and Toriel slumped against it. Knees raised against her chest, she hid her face in her hands.

"I have lost them too. I am not good enough... I am not a good mother. I keep losing them all." She sobbed quietly, repeating herself over and over, shoulders heaving.

Papyrus had been on the verge of tears, but seeing this broke his effort to stay strong for everyone.

"I'M SORRY YOUR MAJESTY, I HAVE FAILED TO KEEP FRISK SAFE."

Toriel raised her head, her voice rough from crying.

"It was not your fault Papyrus. Please do not blame yourself."

"you didn't fail bro. you did your best. you always do." Sans tried to seem reassuring. It wasn't working. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do anything. He really hated himself right now. He hadn't even tried to stop them. He hadn't.

"SANS." Papyrus hugged him, breaking his train of thought. "YOU COULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING. PLEASE DO NOT THINK LESS OF YOURSELF."

They lowered themselves to the floor, never breaking apart, and pulled Toriel into the embrace.

"we'll get them back," Sans whispered; his face resting on his brother's chest and his eyes closed. "we'll get Frisk back."


	4. The Worst Possible Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When will the suffering end... And by that I mean my finals. Surprisingly, I found the time to write this chapter, so that's something.

One week later, and Papyrus was still as optimistic as ever.

Well, that wasn't quite true, but it didn't hurt anyone if they were unaware of that fact.

The day's end was taking a long time to arrive. Papyrus sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Toriel was snoring on his left shoulder, dead to the world, while Sans slept against his right side, tucked under his brother's arm. Papyrus simply looked at them for a while, then his smile faltered, for the first time since this morning.

Frisk wasn't there anymore and none of them had a clue as to where they'd been taken. They didn't answer their phone either and while Toriel, Sans and Papyrus had trouble coming to terms with that sudden turn of events, life still went on.

They still needed to find jobs, do various chores, as well as a lot of other things people should do on a regular basis.

Of course, the news had reached Undyne, Alphys and Asgore almost immediately and they too had difficulty coping -the King was now spending almost every night on the girls' sofa-, but life still went on.

On his side, Papyrus was now doing his best to take care of both his brother and the Queen, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up...

Toriel was miserable. The skeleton didn't really know what to do about it. She would go out in the morning (there was still a lot of meetings to attend to) and face the day. Then she would come home, looking completely drained, eat whatever Papyrus had cooked, make a lame attempt at a joke as the skeleton recounted his own day, and went to bed. It had been the same routine for the last seven days.

Papyrus was trying very hard to get her to participate in anything else, but it wasn't working so well. Toriel's thoughts were all over the place, so she kept making careless mistakes. And, no matter his positivity, each time she messed up, the Queen would clam up a bit more before excusing herself and leaving the room.

Papyrus was doing almost every single chore by himself as a result; not that he'd say a word of it to his roommates. He knew they were having a really hard time dealing with the situation, so he let them be for the time being. He didn't want them to worry about something he could manage by himself. Even if it was getting pretty exhausting.

Speaking of roommates, Sans wasn't doing great either. He wasn't doing a lot. In fact, it was as if he'd just stopped. He wasn't doing anything anymore. This worried Papyrus a lot.

Though Sans thought he hadn't figured it out, Papyrus had realized quite a bit about the reasons behind his brother's laziness. He didn't know the whole thing, but he'd clearly noticed that Sans had seemed genuinely happier on those first few days on the surface than he'd seem in a long time.

On the morning right after they'd gotten a house, Papyrus had gone, like usual, into his brother's room to wake him up and encourage him to do something productive of his day. To his surprise however, Sans was already awake. And he was even making his bed! Papyrus had been so proud, he almost started crying.

Yesterday, his brother had only stepped out of his room, for about an hour, to snack on some leftovers and read Papyrus a story. Today, it took some serious encouragement on Papyrus' part just to get Sans out of his room and into the shower.

Seriously, it felt like a miracle that both Toriel and his brother had agreed to watch a movie tonight, even if they did fall asleep in the middle of it.

Unfortunately, said movie had ended about half an hour ago... Now, Papyrus was looking at some human sitcom of a truly terrible quality. Why could he hear people laughing all the time? Did he not comprehend some amazing jokes? ...Maybe it was a type of humour only understood by humans.

He would have picked up the remote and changed the channel, but he was a bit stuck right now. The skeleton didn't want to wake anyone, so he resigned himself to his sandwiched fate.

Twenty minutes later, Papyrus was finally beginning to understand Diana's tragic breakup with Michael, when he heard Sans mumble something.

"I'M SORRY BROTHER; I WAS DISTRACTED BY THIS... TV SHOW," Papyrus explained, trying his best to whisper. He didn't want to wake Toriel. "WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?"

Sans mumbled again. It was a bit clearer this time.

"i thought it was good this time y'know..." The short skeleton shrugged. "thought it'd be okay... s'not." Sans hands gripped his brother's shirt loosely. Papyrus could feel how shaky Sans' grasp was getting.

"...said... anymore. but what if bad stuff happens to them... just gonna be reset... dunno when, but s'gonna be. and i can't. can't, y'know? and it's just..." Sans took a shaky breath.

"i'm so afraid i'll wake up one day and find i'm in one of those i keep dreaming about."

Laugh-tracks echoed around the silent room. After a few moments, Papyrus examined Sans' face in the dim light projected by the screen: his brother was asleep. Papyrus pulled him closer.

If he couldn't make much sense out of the fragmented confession he'd just been told, Papyrus knew however, that he probably wasn't meant to have heard any of it.

At the same time though, while his brother had surely been asleep, or hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud, that last sentence was probably one of the most honest things Sans had ever told about himself. It scared Papyrus a lot more than he'd care to admit.

That was it, he decided. They needed to see Frisk again. No matter what those humans thought about monsters. They just had to. Or else everyone would just keep getting worse.

The skeleton was trying to think of a way to make contact with their human friend when it hit him: the upcoming U.N. assembly! It was next week. As the ambassador of monsters, Frisk had no choice but to attend.

He needed to call Undyne about this right now. There was no time to waste. They had a plan to create!


	5. Meanwhile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while and I'm still not sure how to go about the next chapter I'd planned. So you all get this pointless, but fun to write dialogue while I figure this out.

Ring... Ring...

"Hey, Papyrus. What's up?"

"UNDYNE! I HAVE AN IDEA TO SEE FRISK AGAIN!!"

Undyne sounded thrilled by the prospect. "Seriously?! Alright, shoot. What is it?"

"THERE IS AN IMPORTANT MEETING APPROACHING AND WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE THERE, BUT SO IS THE AMBASSADOR OF MONSTERS!!"

"NGAHH!! You're right! So what's the plan?"

Papyrus was going to say that's what he'd called her for, that he didn't exactly have one right now, but Undyne was already laying down some ideas.

"Do we wait until there's a crowd, and then get Frisk out when no one's looking? No, hang on, I've GOT IT!! We ask another human kid to dress up like them, then we make a distraction and switch the kid around with Frisk. Humans look so alike, no one will even notice. Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT plan!!"

Almost immediately, on Undyne's side of the phone, a small voice reacted before Papyrus had the time to process how terrible of an idea that was.

"U-Undyne, you can't j-just kidnap Frisk. It's not exactly legal a-and that's what got us in trouble l-last time..."

Papyrus heard Undyne scoff at that.

"Alphys, last time was just bullshit. It's not like we kidnapped them on purpose or anything. How were we even supposed to know it wasn't legal anyway?"

"Well, t-that's why I've started reading about h-human law, y-you know that. So we won't be making a-any other careless mistakes. I-I can even help with that plan, if you like. Then we'll be sure that e-everything we're doing is allowed.

The skeleton nodded in agreement. He was very keen to avoid further confrontation with the humans.

There was a short silence.

"Papyrus, you can't just nod when I'm not beside you."

Another pause. Papyrus looked around him.

"UNDYNE?? HOW DID YOU GET THIS INFORMATION...?" He was a bit anxious over this to be honest. "ARE YOU PERHAPS HIDING SOMEWHERE IN OUR LIVING ROOM???"

"Pffft, what, me? Nah, guess I just spend too much time with you!"

"OH... WELL... I SUPPOSE WE COULD ALWAYS SPEND LESS TIME TOGETHER IF IT'S AN INCONVENIENCE TO YOU..."

It took Undyne a millisecond to respond.

"What? Oh my GOD!! Papyrus, that not what I meant!! It's just an expression! I could never spend too much time with you!!"

"DOES THIS MEAN WE CAN SPEND EVEN MORE TIME WITH EACHOTHER??"

Alphys answered this time around.

"W-Well, you could always come by r-right now. It's not like we'll be making much of a plan over the p-phone."

"YEAH! Or, what if we just get everyone to participate? We could even have like a sleepover afterwards or something."

"THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD COME TO OUR HOUSE INSTEAD! THERE WILL BE MORE ROOM FOR EVERYONE THIS WAY."

"NGAHHH!! Now that's a plan I can get behind! Alright, see you in five minutes, punk! And you'd better be ready: 'cause we've got some serious stuff to do!"

"YOU BET I AM, UNDYNE! WE ARE GOING TO SEE FRISK AGAIN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still hadn't written anything about Undyne or Alphys yet, so I really hope I got them right. Oh well, I've wanted to write a phone call type of conversation for a long time anyway, so that's always that.


	6. Reunion? (1/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, I'm still not done with some segments of this chapter. So, instead, I decided to post it in two parts. I should have the second part up soon though.

Obviously, it was an honor for the country that U.N. assemblies regarding monsters would take place inside their frontiers. And sure, it was less of a hassle than make papers for so many monsters in such a short amount of time, amongst other things. But, God, were the officials in charge of finding places to host everyone really done with all of it after a few days. They weren't very well prepared to deal with such a situation. Well, they couldn't have been.

On the bright side, local restaurants were delighted to learn they'd be the ones providing the buffet. Also, it just so happens that an organized lunch like that proved to be a very useful device in a plan to make contact with a certain ambassador of monsters.

Honestly, if anyone were to ask Papyrus or Undyne, the plan in question would sound incredibly epic while, in reality, if you asked anyone else that was part of it, they'd say it wasn't that grandiose.

Basically, they just wanted to talk to Frisk for a bit, make sure they're okay and ask why they haven't been in contact at all. The only reason they had to be so sketchy about it really, was that Frisk's human parents would definitely not allow a conversation between their child and a couple of monsters to take place.

After that long talk at Toriel's place the other night, everyone had been given a role. Sans would be the one to talk to Frisk, what with him having teleportation abilities and being one of the least noticable of them all.

For her part, Alphys created a small tracking device. Well, she might want to do things according to law, but she knew everyone would feel better at the thought of being able to find Frisk at all time. Besides, it was impossible to trace back to them and only Sans had handled it, so there wouldn't be any fingerprints either.

Papyrus was given the most important role.

That's it. It's pretty much the explanation he was given. 

Actually, his part consisted of attracting the attention of Frisk's parents so they wouldn't get in the way, but the monsters figured he'd probably manage to do that without even meaning to, so they just told him to be himself.

Undyne would act as backup for Papyrus. She would be there to make sure he didn't accidently reveal their plan and to help him keep the humans' attention, should the skeleton run out of things to say. (What? Surely you didn't think Undyne would ask for a role that required stealth, like Sans'? You can't just become the head of the royal guard without being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you know.)

Toriel and Asgore didn't really have a part to play in the whole thing, but everyone agreed it would be for the best. It would seem less suspicious if the King and Queen of monsters were seen acting normally around everyone.

Well, now that the planning was over, and that the U.N. assembly's morning session was dealt with, all that the monsters needed to do now was to get into position.

The room where the buffet was held was quite crowded. Everyone went from table to table with their plates before sitting down somewhere to talk with others. There were also clutters of people just standing around, discussing various subjects. There wasn't a moment where people didn't move around as much; Frisk had hoped there would be. 

They found the crowd of people very uncomfortable to be around. It made them nervous. Not only that, but their parents kept dragging them left and right every time a monster got too close; it wasn't a rare occurence.

Finally, their parents had decided to stop chatting away and go in line to get some food. Frisk found it refreshing, they actually got to choose what they wanted to eat. However, they didn't get very far with that before something else happened.

A bony hand reached out from beneath the tablecloth to tap Frisk's ankle lightly. They flinched at the sudden contact and froze; their mother bumped into them, not realising they'd stopped walking. The child took a hold of themselves before anyone could notice the look on their face and discreetly dropped their plastic fork on the ground, kicking it under the table.

"Laura, what are you doing?" Frisk hated that name. It stood for everything they weren't. They turned, facing their mother.

"...Dropped my fork." They left their plate on the table and crouched down to retrieve said ustensil. Their mother sighed in exasperation.

"Just leave it and get an other one, would you. I hope you weren't thinking of using it afterwards." She looked a bit disgusted; Frisk knew where this was going. "It's another one of those awful habits you picked up from them, isn't it? You know, you should be greateful I'm willing to help you correct all those bad manners."

"..."

As always, Frisk had trouble answering. It's not that they didn't know what to say. In fact, they had plenty of things to retort. But, their mouth never seemed to agree with them. It was worse when certain topics were discussed, or when they were talking with humans (somehow, they usually found it easy to talk with monsters; they always found themselves more at ease).

However, staying silent always brought trouble, so they tried speaking until they got at least enough words out for their sentence to be coherent.

"...can recycle it." Frisk took a deep breath, relieved. Sometimes the words never came out.

"Fine, but do it quickly, darling. People. Are starting. To stare."

Frisk hurriedly crawled halfway under the plastic tablecloth. They didn't flinch this time when Sans appeared in their field of vision; they knew he'd been waiting for them.

"what took you so long, kid? i almost had the time to take a nap."

Frisk smiled, they'd missed the short skeleton.

"glad to see you too, buddy." Sans ruffled their hair. "alright, d'ya think you could go to the bathroom in a while? cause this isn't really the place to have a conversation and we kinda need to talk."

Frisk's sudden good mood fell as quickly as it had arrived. What kind of talk? Were they in trouble? Did they do something wrong again?

"woah there, if you think any harder i think the smoke is gonna trigger the fire alarm. i just wanna catch up, alright? nothing to worry yourself over, bucko."

Frisk frowned. They weren't sure it would work out. It was always possible that their human parents would see them, or that anyone else would mention they'd been talking to monsters...

But, it had been so long since they even saw Sans, or any other monster for that matter, and they'd missed it more than anything. And so they gave Sans a quick, decided nod, before grabbing their fork and getting out from under the table. 

They would do this. They could do this.


	7. Reunion? (2/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't think I'd be finished with this one for a while, but okay. That's very much fine with me.

"...I gotta go." Frisk's mother had ignored them the first time they'd talked so they simply repeated.

This time, she stopped taking part in the animated discussion around them to give her child a stern look. "You should have gone earlier, now I'm busy, darling."

Right, they probably should have...

"Sorry..."

She gave them a pat on the head. "It's alright, dear, but don't interrupt again."

Wait... they couldn't have gone earlier, they didn't know Sans would be waiting there back then.

But, if they said something... They'd been warned.

It couldn't be helped, they had to try again. Frisk held onto their locket, willing it to give them courage. They tapped their mother's arm lightly.

"...can't wait. I'm sorry."

She sighed, motioning for the others to continue talking without her. "Laura, dear, can you tell me what I just asked of you a moment ago?"

Frisk wasn't too sure they could do this anymore; this plan was getting nowhere. "...But."

"I don't want any arguing, young lady. I told you to go earlier and you didn't. Now you'll just have to wait until-"

She noticed a familiar figure heading towards them.

"Actually, I've got a better idea. How about I let your father accompany you for once?"

Sitting at the table, drink in hand, Frisk's father didn't look too pleased with the turn of events. He went anyway once he'd asked for an explanation and got a "I'll tell you later"; holding Frisk's hand as they walked.

Once they'd gone, Mrs. Ritcher distanced herself from the chattering mass before even thinking of acknowledging the tall figure that stopped right in front of her.

"HELLO HUMAN PARENT OF FRISK!" God... She'd have taken any monster before that loud blathering skeleton. So of course it just had to be him. "IF YOU DO NOT RECALL, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. I-"

"Why are you here." She didn't have time for this nonsense. Now why did he even look confused? It was an easy enough question to answer. Was he that much of an idiot?

"I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION, HUMAN, SO I'LL DO MY BEST TO LIST OFF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES. I WORK AS THE AMBASSADOR'S OFFICI-"

She couldn't help cutting him off: that skeleton got on her nerves in an instant. "I know that. I asked why you were addressing yourself to me."

"OH, I MERELY WANTED TO INQUIRE ABOUT MY HUMAN FRIEND. DO YOU KNOW WHERE I MIGHT FIND THEM??"

Like she was going to tell him. But, hang on, something was missing here...

"Where's the other one?" Of course he was looking confused. Obviously he wasn't going to understand that simple thing. Why did she have to spell out everything?

"That other skeleton, where is he?"

"YOU MEAN, MY BROTHER SANS? HE IS... WELL... HE IS NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR PRESENCE."

Like that was hard to figure out. "But where is he?"

Papyrus was getting nervous. This was harder than he'd imagined. "IT IS POSSIBLE, THOUGH I AM NOT ENTIRELY CERTAIN OF THAT FACT, THAT MY BROTHER COULD REASONABLY BE... FOUND... SOMEWHERE ELSE!!"

That literally told her nothing. It was getting infuriating.

"Listen here, I don't know what you-"

"Hey Paps, who's she?" Did a fish really just enter this conversation and cut her off?

"UNDYNE!!! I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU SINCE, I... WAS ABOUT... TO... INTRODUCE YOU TO THIS HUMAN LADY??? SHE HAPPENS TO BE FRISK'S MOTHER!!"

"Oh, so you're the one who took them." That sounded suspiciously close to an insult if she wasn't mistaken. "I'm Undyne, Captain of the royal guard. A pleasure to meet you."

And that last sentence seemed a bit forced. Not to mention that suplexing a table was completely unnecessary. She'd had enough of this.

"That still doesn't answer my question! Where's that other skeleton?"

The fish lady answered this time. "You mean Sans? Papyrus' brother? He's probably slacking off somewhere. He does that." Her expression shifted to something a bit more... murderous. "But if I catch him napping under a table again this time, HE'S DONE FOR!!"

Papyrus was not aware this was part of the plan. Was there something he hadn't been told? "UNDYNE??? ISN'T THAT A BIT EXCESSIVE?? SANS IS NOT EVEN ON DUTY TODAY!"

Undyne went on, adding reasons as to why Sans should always act like he's on duty, especially when he's supposed to be. Occasionally, Papyrus would add a comment of his own.

Frisk's mother thought this conversation to be an extreme waste of time, but at least, by staying, she'd know those two weren't near her daughter. And while she was listening, maybe she'd learn something about them to use as blackmail later on.

Also, at the same time this conversation was taking place, Frisk had just locked themselves into the restroom.

They didn't have to wait for Sans to arrive for long. In fact, they merely had the time to feel someone tugging their sleeve before they found themselves, well, elsewhere.

One of Sans' shortcuts then.

Frisk turned around and, sure enough, the short skeleton was there, smiling as always.

"So, we've got a few minutes to talk i reckon," he told them.

"What about?"

Sans' eye-sockets closed for a moment. It felt to Frisk like there was so much he wanted to say and, at the same time, nothing at all. "heh, i dunno. how 'bout we start with how you've been doing."

"Fine... Everyone is ok, right?"

"well, could be better, but we'll get over it. you're a though one to let go kid, ya know that?" Frisk avoided looking at him; they never wanted to cause anyone harm. "also, toriel and papyrus would really wanna know why you haven't been answering your cell phone."

Frisk was finding the ground very entertaining to look at.

"...couldn't." They found it impossible to get the rest of the sentence out. They tried again a few times while Sans waited patiently, but it was the best they could manage.

"oh, right, sorry." The skeleton seemed to remember something. He rummaged through his pockets for a few seconds, before handing Frisk a pen and a small notebook. They took it gratefully.

"should make things easier. now, how about you try telling that again.”

Frisk scribbled down a few sentences.

"I couldn't use my cell phone. My parents took it. They said I shouldn't be allowed to have contact with bad influences. That it was for my own good, even if I didn't realise it."

Sans stayed quiet while reading it over a few times to make sure he hadn't read anything wrong.

"i kinda figured that was gonna be it." They suddenly pointed at Frisk. "and don't apologise, kid. it's not your fault."

With a sigh, Sans sat down on the floor of the unknown room. He invited Frisk to do the same. They stayed in silence for a moment.

"oh, by the way," Sans' voice took them by surprise, but they managed not to show it that much. "alphys asked me to give you this." He opened his palm. Some sort of microchip rested in the center of it. "it's a tracking device."

Frisk seemed unsure about this. Sans just shrugged. "we know, that part's not exactly legal, but look, we just want to make sure you're safe, alright? now, ya got anywhere i could put it so they won't find the thing?"

Frisk instantly knew where they could hide the microchip. Gently, they lifted a pendant from underneath their dress.

The heart-shaped locket.

The locket that said "best friends forever." The one they'd found in Chara and Asriel's room. The one Asgore had let them keep the second they'd asked. The locket Frisk kept so they'd never forget about Asriel, not even for a moment.

Sans looked surprised to see it.

"ya still have that? i thought those humans would have taken everything away by now."

Frisk shrugged and wrote in the notebook. "She said she'd allow me to keep it because I went home with them without too much fuss."

Sans huffed. He didn't look convinced. "how nice of them..."

Frisk didn't really feel like telling the skeleton how their parents actually did try to take it away...

At first, the two humans hadn't noticed the locket because the child kept in under their clothes all the time. Then, when they did notice and demanded it be handed over to them, Frisk panicked.

It was the last memento they had from their time with monsters and the thought of losing it had them struggling to breathe. They couldn't lose it. Not now, not ever. They had nothing else. What would they do?

Noticing the beginning of a panic attack, Frisk's mother quickly went back on what had been said.

She couldn't deal with this now: they were in public; people were already looking in their direction with odd stares.

Well, even then, it still took a while for Frisk to calm down and stop hyperventilating, but a complete panic attack was, at least, more or less avoided.

In the end, she decided it was less trouble to let them keep the damn thing. At least it wasn't, eurgh, a skeleton; like the distasteful pattern on that pyjamas they had.

"hey, kid, still with me?" Frisk was shocked out of their memories by Sans' call. "are you ok?"

Frisk took a few calming breaths, they would be okay.

Sans handed them the chip. They took it and placed it inside the locket. Their friend seemed a bit awkward about something, now that his job was pretty much done. The skeleton got back on his feet, helping Frisk to do the same.

"a lot of monsters would've loved to see ya today, kiddo and, since they couldn't, they told me to give you something on their behalf."

Sans reached out to take the kid into his arms. Well, that's what he went for, but he hadn't exactly anticipated that Frisk would flinch away when he'd touch them. This is why he was so taken aback now.

"ok, that's new." Frisk was avoiding eye-contact once again. They hadn't meant to do that. It just... happened. What if Sans thought they didn't like him anymore...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." They tried to apologise for it. Somehow, excusing themselves always seemed like something they could say no problem.

Sans tugged at the collar of his hoodie a bit awkwardly. This hadn't gone as planned. "heh, s'fine kid. how about you gimme the hug then. is that ok?"

Frisk smiled at him, immensely relieved to hear that. They jumped into the short skeleton's arms, just for good measure.

Sans picked the child in a soft embrace and Frisk immediately returned it, clinging to him with their arms and legs. They stayed that way for a while, before Sans lowered Frisk to the ground, albeit reluctantly.

He winked at them. "toriel also wanted me to tell you to make friends with at least 1000 snails, to wash your hands before you take the stairs, and to apply sunscreen before you turn on a light."

Frisk giggled slightly. "Liar."

They didn't need to write it this time.

Sans did his best to look mock-offended. "alright, maybe i'm paraphrasing a bit. but seriously kid, if you get a hold of a phone, you should definitely "column"; they'd love to hear your voice."

Frisk nodded, then, knowing Sans was about to leave, wrote a quick note. "Sans, please stay. You can teleport if there's trouble."

"i'm sorry, buddo. can't do that. but hey, that's what the chip's for. it's your link with us. if there's anything, we'll be there in a moment."

Frisk gave him back the pen and paper. "Ok... I love you Sans." The skeleton ruffled their hair affectionately.

"love you too, frisk."

"You'll tell the others I love them too, right?"

"that's a promise," Sans answered, before teleporting Frisk back inside the locked toilet.

They were alone once more.

They hoped it hadn't been long enough for their parents to start wondering what was going on.

Apparently not. All their father had to say on the subject was: "you took your time". That was good. They let themselves be lead away by the hand, the other clutching the locket.

Frisk's mother reached them a few moments later. She seemed unhappy for some reason and was muttering something about... useless information, or making sushi perhaps? It wasn't very clear.

"What took you two so long?" Frisk already had an answer ready. They'd been thinking about it ever since they unlocked the toilet's door.

"...stomach ache." She rolled her eyes at that.

"Remember what I told you about eating those things? I never should have left you pick your own food. I knew that menu should have been gluten-free. It's so unhealthy. Besides, not only that, but you always keep eating so much, it's no wonder you're already getting a bit fat at your age."

Frisk felt bad for lying now. They didn't want their mother to get false ideas, but they had to, or their friends would be in trouble. And they had a link with them now, so it would be fine, right?

They could do this. Everything would be fine. They would do this. Their heart filled with something they hadn't felt in a while: determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I really write more than 10k words already? Wow, that's not something I ever expected to do. Also, I felt I should mention that the support you're all giving me on this fic is fantastic. Seriously, I appreciate it so much.


	8. Loading "FILE 0"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, I wasn't supposed to be gone so long and this chapter wasn't really supposed to exist, but there you are.

Somehow, time had flown and summer vacation was over. Frisk was going to be back in school in less than a week. School. How was it that something supposed to represent learning, creativity and fun ended up being a word that made them shudder... 

The adults they knew -mostly family; they didn't know a lot of humans outside their family or school- always seemed so eager to learn all about the so called wonderful time that they were having there. To this day, Frisk was still baffled as to how any of them could think school was what they thought it was. 

To be fair, Frisk now realised that grown-ups only wanted to know how they were doing in class academically; they didn't care much to learn about how they were doing in class emotionally.

A few years back, after their very first days of school, they had noticed very quickly that their parents were right: amongst other things, you couldn't just point to things or draw what you wanted to say; you actually had to say it. Frisk hated school. But they knew it all was their fault. Mom and Dad had told them time and time again that they would need to start acting like every other kid one day. They had been right of course.

And so, during those next years, Frisk had tried. Tried so hard to be like everyone else. Tried to do what everyone asked of them. Tried to speak like a normal person, to make real friends, to stop acting like a robot all the time and start showing emotions.

It was all really hard and sometimes it didn't work -Frisk hated when that happened because now their parents actually expected them to be normal, and it always disappointed them; Frisk didn't want that. Well, it was hard, but acting normal meant that teachers stopped writing about bad behavior in their agenda, that their parents were proud of them and, by their second year, it even meant having a few friends.

They were doing so well and it stayed that way for a while. But, of course, it eventually became too much... Frisk never meant for something like this to happen, but they found everything they'd worked on so hard was crumbling away.

They felt a lump form in their throat as soon as the teacher adressed them. 

They hated what the other kids were saying about them and Frisk found they couldn't ignore it like before. 

They didn't know how to feel about their friends. Frisk knew they would say the same things as everyone else behind their back

They were angry at the school uniform and didn't know why. They hated it, but they couldn't even begin to explain why that was. 

Frisk's parents didn't seem happy with them anymore. They eventually stopped telling their parents about their day. They weren't good days anyhow. 

The three of them would have fights over Frisk's grades and behavior. During fights, their mom would sometimes cry and ask them what she did wrong since Frisk didn't want to talk to them anymore. Frisk's father would eventually snap and tell them to start acting their age, then he would put on his shoes and storm off, saying he'd go calm down somewhere before the kid pushed him to do something he'd regret. 

After the door slamed shut and silence fell, Frisk would always tell their mother they were sorry. They were. They didn't know what else to say. They'd screwed up again. They hadn't tried hard enough.

They didn't know what to do...

Then, one day, something else happened.

It was a bad day. The kind that had Frisk recoiling away from people brushing past in the corridors and trapped sound inside their mouth no matter what they wanted to say.

They'd tried to ignore it and had gone to play dodgeball with the other kids during recess. Well, they'd tried to at least. One of the popular boys told them they didn't want to play with girls that day. Frisk didn't know how to respond to that, so they didn't, and went to sit at their usual spot in a corner of the yard.

Frisk really liked that little corner. None of the other students ever came around because it was relatively far from the playground and it consequently meant that there were no adults nearby. Normally, Frisk would sit there, in what little shade there was, and read their favourite book.

It was a small paperback novel, with a colourful cover, named "The Sceptar of Life" and it was one of Frisk's most prized possessions. 

They'd found it at the library one day. It just sat miserably on the ground, half-hidden behind a nearly empty bookshelf; easy to miss. There was no bar code on it so Frisk simply glanced at the cover and put it back, knowing it didn't belong to the library and worried the owner wouldn't find the book if they moved it. 

Frisk had returned to the library a few weeks later: it was still there, untouched.

They'd decided to bring it home with them, carefully hiding it under their shirt and holding it in place with their pant's waistband so their mom wouldn't notice it on the way back to the house.

Well, it didn't really matter now how they'd gotten that book since they'd forgotten it at home when packing their bag this morning. 

Time went by incredibly slowly and Frisk was left alone with their thoughts; they didn't enjoy it very much. Those thoughts were dark clouds of words or ideas that swirled through their mind. They were angry and sad, quite scary at times, and generally unpleasant.

And then recess was over somehow and it was time for maths. Frisk sometimes liked that subject, but they found it really difficult on that day. Their teacher, Miss Cheney, was asking them a question and Frisk desesperately wanted to be anywhere else. And she kept saying their name because they hadn't answered, and it felt so wrong, and they didn't even want that name. 

That was the good child's name. The normal child's name. It wasn't theirs. They didn't want it. It was a name that held too much responsibility for them, and it even felt wrong anyway.

They didn't want to stay in that class anymore. Miss Cheney still wanted an answer though, and children were laughing because there were no words coming out of Frisk's mouth despite it opening and closing a few times, and they hated, hated hearing that name, and they didn't want to be there. They wanted to be where it was quiet. They wanted to go home and hide in their room.

So they did.


	9. Unable to Run "FILE 0"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back. Also, there's child abuse in this chapter. Nothing extremely graphic (or so I believe), but better safe than sorry.

Before Frisk truly realised what they had done, they were outside. They were running. 

Running until their legs hurt. Until their mouth tasted of blood and their lungs burned. Until they unlocked their house's door and hid inside, their back against the wall, breath caught up in their throat.

Frisk stayed unmoving for a while, until a cold shiver ran through them: the last period had only begun a while ago; school wasn't over, and they were in trouble.

They felt panic flow through them; it was trying to claw its way out and overcome them. Frisk needed something to do; a distraction. They started their homework. Like it was some way to make amends for their behavior.

They lost track of time for a while, but were shocked out of their task when they heard a car door slam shut. Frisk didn't need to look outside, the school had obviously called their parents.

The front door opened only moments later. Frisk wanted to disappear.

"Laura Ritcher!" Frisk's mother sounded positively furious. She stared at them from the lobby. 

Seated at the dining room's table, a few meters away, Frisk started fiddling with their eraser. All those carefully crafted sentences they'd prepared to lay down when this moment arrived had fled their mind entirely. They ended up mumbling a tame "hi, mom".

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady!" Cars keys were discarded loudly on the counter. "You just wait until your father gets here. We're going to have a talk and you won't be sneaking out of this one," she pointed in their general direction as she talked, attempting to pull off her high heels with her free hand simultaneously.

It didn't take long. Ten minutes later, the door creaked and heavy footsteps resonated down the lobby.

Apparently, Frisk's father didn't know the whole story yet; they could hear their parents talk about it while they attempted to finish an equation they'd started. Frisk's pencil kept slipping out of their increasingly sweaty palm. Their father's voice was getting louder. 

They couldn't concentrate.

Frisk didn't want to be here anymore. It wasn't quiet anymore. They didn't want to be sitting at the table.

...Maybe they could go to their room.

Just for a while; a few minutes; for only a moment; just to leave their school bag on their bed. They wouldn't be avoiding the talk...

Maybe they could. Maybe it would be alright...

Frisk merely had the time to take their bag and walk a few steps towards the staircase leading to their bedroom when a voice rang out.

"Where do you thing you're going!?"

They froze, the deep voice impossible to ignore. A moment later, a hand was roughly grabbing Frisk's arm. Another relieved them of their bag and tossed it on the floor. Frisk flinched at the noise it made against the floorboards.

Their legs barely supporting them anymore, Frisk struggled to follow along as they were dragged back to the dining room by a strong grip.

The child's upper arm was taking on a reddish tint. It had to hurt. They didn't notice.

Half-numb to the events happening to them, Frisk could only see the small bench their mother had placed right where their father was leading them.

Frisk hated that bench. They felt even smaller when they were sitting on it. And it always meant they'd done something bad.

"Sit down," their father instructed sharply. "and don't you get up before you're told this time."

Frisk quickly followed the order. Their father loomed over them. They knew their mother was sitting at the table, further away, but they couldn't see her.

"It's the third time this month you've caused trouble and-"

Frisk tried so hard to pay attention as their father scolded them. They really did. They could clearly hear him; he was almost shouting.

"You haven't learned a thing since our last talk. You told us you'd do better: I don't think you're trying really hard right now, do you?"

It didn't register.

"-think we like having to put up with your selfish behavior?"

Words flowed out of their mind as soon as they heard them. Frisk couldn't concentrate. 

They needed something to hold on. There was nothing in their hands; they started clenching their right fist. Nails were digging in their palm. Sweat started to sting the inside of their hand soon after.

"And it's time you start acting your age! You're not a baby anymore, so control yourself! Do you understand me?"

The phrase was repeated a few more times, their father's tone getting more frustrated with each one.

Frisk had understood the sentence on the second time it was said, but they couldn't answer. Words weren't working. They felt terrible for it. They couldn't look their father in the eye. 

After a while, they gave up and nodded slightly.

"Would you use your mouth, dammit! You're not mute, so act like it." 

Exasperated, they took Frisk's chin to turn their head towards him. "And look at me when I'm talking."

Frisk's hand hurt; the palm was probably bleeding a bit by now. And they still tried to talk, to answer, to say a simple "yes".

But it wasn't working!

They nodded.

Next thing Frisk knew, they were on the ground; the bench had toppled over with them. The whole left side of their face felt like it was burning. It hurt. 

They wanted to cry. They didn't

"Fuck."

Frisk wasn't sure if the person talking had been next to them, or very far away. Everything felt distant. Their eyes couldn't focus either; pain flashed in their head when they tried.

Further away, a few more curses were pronounced before a door slammed with force. Silence fell in the house.

"Oh, hon... Why can't you ever do as you're asked?"

Frisk's mom had picked them up from the ground and carried them to the bathroom. After a few minutes, Frisk began to calm down.

"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Frisk apologised as their mother cleaned the small half-moon cuts on their hand. They'd messed up again. They should've talked. 

When they'd finally stopped excusing themselves, Frisk's mother crouched in front of them and held their hands in hers.

"Darling, you know your father hates being angry with you. We love you, Laura. So please, just behave for once. Your father and I are doing the best we can, but we don't know what to do with you anymore. So start doing your part, alright?"

Frisk gave a small nod. Their mother sighed.

They took a deep breath.

"...y-...y-yeah."

Frisk didn't want to be the cause of anyone's anger anymore. They didn't want to be a burden for their parents. They didn't want to be a bother to anyone any longer.

It wasn't long until Frisk remembered the stories surrounding mount Ebott...


	10. Is Something Wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not that used to flashbacks so, just to avoid confusion, I'll say right away that we are back in the present. Also, as a heads up, there is some emotional manipulation in there in case it might affect any of you.

School had begun more than a week ago.

"Laura, come down here. We need to talk." the tone Frisk's mother used as she spoke was soft. It did however resonnate clearly through the house, even upstairs. And Frisk knew better anyway. Or at least they thought they did. They weren't too sure what meant what anymore (the only times they'd been sure of their parents' intentions were during the days right after their separation with Toriel).

Frisk got out of their room, closed the door behind them and climbed down the stairs slowly, but not too slowly. Their hand clutched at their pendant in an effort to keep control over themselves. It was an unshakable habit by now.

They entered the dining room to find their mother waiting for them, arms crossed over her chest. She sat down at the table and motionned for Frisk to do the same.

"There was a PTA meeting today," she informed them. "Your teacher told me that you're having trouble in class." Frisk was ashamed of themselves, they thought they'd been doing a pretty decent job hiding it.

"She also said that when asked to write about your summer or when you've have free time to draw, you always picked the same subject." Her mouth formed a harsh line and she stared at Frisk. They felt like she could see right through them with that gaze.

"You know what I'm talking about dear, don't you?" Frisk didn't answer. What would have been the point anyway?

Frisk's mother got up from her seat. "We've been nothing but patient with you Laura, but this is really crossing the line," her tone was the same as before. Frisk felt like it had changed for the worst none the less. 

"Your father and I have only asked one thing of you. We do everything we can to help you and this is what you do? The second we have our backs turned, you just start to write about them. And you even draw them! Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? T-those things changed you! You can't see it but we can. What happened to my baby girl? You're always acting so strange with us nowadays. Please, just let us help you for once and stop making things so difficult."

The wave of words was drowning Frisk's every thought. Why did they do such things. What had they been thinking? They disappointed their parents again.  They were once again a burden. It was too much. They'd been trying so hard.

Frisk started crying. They were sorry. They were so sorry.

"Oh darling, it's okay." Their mom walked around the table and sat in a nearer chair, pulling them on her lap. "We'll help you, alright?"

Frisk nodded minutely against their mom's chest, sobs wracking their small frame.

"I really want to help you Laura, but you have to help yourself first. Now, why don't you do yourself some good and start by giving me that necklace." Frisk's mind reeled at the thought, but they couldn't stop crying, holding their mothers clothes tightly. "I've seen you with that thing. It's doing you nothing, but harm sweety."

Was it why they felt terrible right now? Frisk wasn't sure what to think anymore. They didn't want to feel bad. They didn't want to be a bad child either.

They handed over the pendant.

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Frisk didn't answer, their chest heaving with their erratic breathing.

"You know we love you so much Laura." Frisk couldn't help but fall asleep, exhausted. Their mother's words only vaguely registering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason I thought this would be the last chapter... Yeah, it's not actually the case, but somehow we're still getting close to the end none the less.
> 
> (Erm, that's a really short chapter, but oh well, can't be helped.)


	11. LOVE?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And the monsters are finally back.

The front door slammed open.

"Guys, we have a problem!"

Three monsters barged into the monster Queen's living room. Toriel, Papyrus and Sans stared at Alphys almost in shock, wondering when she'd gotted so loud. 

The phone rang suddenly, ruining the effect. Papyrus went to answer it. He asked Undyne to fill him in afterwards.

"...I-I mean, hi, erm, I think there's something going on wi-with Frisk," the scientist continued her train of thought with less energy, a bit embarassed at her initial outburst.

Asgore deemed useful to add more information to that statement.

"Alphys has informed us that the device tracking Frisk's mouvements has been in the same location for almost a day. We three have debated the issue and believe something is wrong."

They could all hear Papyrus talking on the phone as Toriel and Sans took in what had been said.

"YOU HAVE INDEED CALLED THE RIGHT NUMBER... YES... YES, BUT I DON'T RECALL- OH, DO YOU MEAN FRISK BY ANY CHANCE?? ...OF COURSE. I CAN DESCRIBE THEM EASILY!..."

The others stopped doing anything as they heard that name. Everyone joined Papyrus in the other room as he went on with his conversation.

"...AND YOU HAVE NO MEANS OF CONTACTING THEM? I SEE... WELL, DO NOT FEAR FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE AND SOUND!!"

And with that he ended the call.

"who was that?" Sans asked him.

"IT WAS THE SECRETARY WORKING AT FRISK'S SCHOOL."

"How the hell did she know you then? And why did they have your phone number? And what's happening with Frisk?" it was Undyne's turn to ask questions.

Papyrus started sweating, he seemed nervous.

"WELL, FRISK IS NOT CURRENTLY IN SCHOOL RIGHT NOW. THE SECRETARY COULD NOT REACH THEIR PARENTS, BUT SHE REMEMBERED ME AS FRISK'S OFFICIAL INTERPRETER AND DECIDED TO FIND OUR PHONE NUMBER."

Papyrus took a second to take in another breath, then spoke again.

"I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT FRISK HAS RAN AWAY IN THE PAST AND THAT THE SCHOOL WANTED TO INQUIRE WHETHER I HAD SEEN THEM TODAY. THEY HAVE ALSO SAID THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO CALL THE POLICE IF FRISK IS NOT FOUND IN A FEW HOURS."

"There is no time to lose then. We should try to see if Frisk is at their house first." 

Toriel hadn't spoken since the others arrived. She'd been lost in thought. Now however, there was fire in her eyes. She would make sure her child was safe no matter what.

The rest of them agreed entirely with Toriel's plan. After all, the microchip had been in the same spot, at Frisk's house, for almost twenty-four hours. They only hoped the kid was still wearing it.

"SANS, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO TRANSPORT EVERYONE."

"Good thinking Paps," Undyne added. "You'd be fine right?"

Sans was a bit at a loss here. It was true that he knew where Frisk lived (he'd been there for a reconnaissance of sorts once) and could effectively take a short cut to get there... but six people at once? He'd never tried that. Ever.

"er yeah, sure. just don't expect much of me after that i guess."

A few moments later, the group appeared right on the Ritchers' doorstep. 

Everyone was fine, except for the fact that all of them were either stepping on someone's toes or were the ones being stepped on.

Sans yawned loudly. "anyone gonna knock or what?"

Asgore gave the door a polite knock. Toriel waited for approximately five seconds before trying her luck. Fifteen seconds later, Undyne was hammering on the door.

Alphys stopped her before she could leave dents in the wood.

"U-Uh, Undyne, I think the neighbors might call th-the police on us if we keep going like that."

"Fine." She stepped back from the door. Where's that tracker thingy anyway?"

Alphys quickly checked the location she'd noted down one more time before answering. "It-it should be in the western c-corner of the house. On the second floor I think."

Toriel lead the way, giving them all a boost to get on the other side of the yard's fence and investigate while she stayed and stood watch.

They found the area they'd been looking for quickly. Undyne spotted a few large windows above them.

"Hey paps, you mind giving me a boost?"

The skeleton gently raised her with his blue magic until she could stare into the second floor. She groaned in frustration at the sight inside the house.

"It's empty."

"Is there any way one could hide in this room?" Asgore inquired.

"No... There's not even like a wardrobe or anything. It looks fancy though, I'll give them that."

"Then m-maybe Frisk isn't wearing the microchip anymore. Th-They must have gone somewhere e-else." Alphys was wondering aloud what they'd all feared to think.

They quickly got back with Toriel and explained the situation. They were all trying to figure out where Frisk could be when Papyrus asked if the Queen knew why the child would run away like that.

Toriel's face darkened instantly. "I believe I know where they are."

All at once, the rest of the monsters turned their head to stare at Toriel, the interrogation clear in their faces.

"Oh..." Asgore suddenly knew aswell. Well, where else...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I've been with this story for a while now come to think about it. Also, only one chapter left after that (and a few other things, but I'll talk about that later). Well, to be fair, this was part of the last chapter initially, but there were too many locations so I split it in half.


	12. Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I write a lot faster when I know what I'm doing (surprising, I know). Okay, it does help that I started this chapter a while ago, but whatever.

"right, i'd better get us there then." Sans spoke up. He looked tired.

Papyrus wasn't sure it was such a good idea. "SANS, ARE YOU CERTAIN IT WILL BE SAFE FOR YOU?"

"nope, but hey, doesn't really matter."

"OF COURSE IT MATTERS!!" Papyrus answered sharply. He couldn't believe Sans would say such a thing. Did he think it didn't matter to him every time his brother got hurt or struggled with living?

Sans could see the internal turmoil happening in the skeleton's eyes. He really must be the luckiest monster ever. He really didn't deserve to have such a nice brother.

"sorry. it's just that we don't really have time to spare. the kid's already been gone for who knows how long. there aren't tons of other options ya know, so there."

Before anyone one else could begin to worry about his well-being, Sans breathed deeply, then quickly teleported them all.

The group materialised almost instantly at the base of Mount Ebott.

This travel had been a bit more hectic than the last. Undyne had appeared a few feet above the ground and had fallen heavily right on top of Papyrus. Asgore and Toriel were lying a few meters away, while Alphys had somehow landed in a nearby tree. 

At first, no one could see where Sans was. They helped Alphys reconnect with the ground before attempting to find him. Then they heard his voice.

"...oh, that wasn't a fun trip at all. i'm never doing that again. no way... well, i guess i could say it really drained me bone dry, heh." Sans' lame attempt at a joke fell flat.

They realised he'd collapsed on the ground, behind a bush, barely awake.

Toriel reached out, hand glowing, ready to tranfer some of her energy to the short skeleton.

"don't," he warned tiredly. "i'll be fine. you'd better keep it. you know, in case-" Sans fell asleep, the rest of his sentence left unsaid.

The implication stayed. The glow faded from Toriel's hand, her expression somber.

The monsters took off, Papyrus carrying his brother; keeping a secure hold on him. 

They climbed the mountain as fast as they could while keeping an eye on their surroundings, in case Frisk was around. The monsters searched for quite some time.

They finally found the child. Frisk was standing, unmoving, in a cavern's opening. They were right next to a small crevace in the ground and by the way they stared at it, they seemed to know exactly where it lead. They looked really contemplative.

Alphys eyes widened.

"Hell no! Once was enough." Undyne walked faster at the sight, almost running. It was too much like before. Just like at the Trash Zone. She couldn't let this happen.

Toriel reacted at the same time. "My child. Please, step away from there."

At the sudden noise, Frisk startled, shocked out of their thoughts. Instinctively, they flinched away from the voices.

They stepped back without thinking. There was no more ground to walk upon.

Everyone's heart skipped a beat as the scene unfolded.

Frisk disappeared in the darkness, staring at them all, terrified... and floated back up as fast, their soul glowing a deep blue.

Toriel sank to the ground, looking visibly shaken. Asgore was trembling all over.

Undyne's head turned sharply towards Papyrus. He was holding Sans with an arm, the other was raised towards the child. He was sweating heavily, fear written all over his face.

Undyne snapped back into action and quickly took hold of Frisk. The tall skeleton gratefully lowered his arm once he was assured that Frisk was well out of danger.

A few seconds later, Toriel was hugging Frisk with everything she had. 

Undyne had left to take care of Alphys, who was still in shock. The familiarity of the scene had brought back unpleasant memories.

"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I'm sorry..." It was the first thing Frisk had said since they arrived, their voice muffled by the fabric of Toriel's dress. They clutched at her with every ounce of strength they possessed; afraid to let go and fall.

"It's alright, my child. It's alright. We are here and you are safe. That is all I care about."

The Queen stroked Frisk's short hair for a long time, vowing to set things right; ignoring what might have happened had they been only a bit slower.

Further away, Papyrus had entrusted Sans' care to Asgore while he phoned Frisk's school with the number he'd been given.

From the second the call was picked up, it was like an metaphorical dam had been ripped apart.

With everything that had happened in the past few hours, it ended up being impossible to keep the story hidden. The word quickly got out about it. 

About all of it.

Frisk's parents were obviously the first to hear about the day's events. They decided to sue the monsters for breaking the agreement.

A decision they came to regret very quickly.

As it turned out, Mrs. Ritcher was a lawyer, specialized in winning though cases. And well, there was no way the six monsters could gather enough money to pay for a lawyer of their own.

It didn't matter. Every single monster knew of Frisk. They all knew them as their ambassador, but a good amount also considered the kid a personnal friend. Collectively, they managed to gather an impressive sum and enlisted the services of the best lawyer around.

In the end, debating the whole ordeal in court actually brought to light some overlooked elements of the situation in the Ritcher household.

How was it that a child was more comfortable with monsters they'd known for mere months than with their own parents?

How did a child end up climbing Mount Ebott all on their own?

Why would a child even want to go to Mount Ebott if they knew the stories?

And more importantly.

Why was it that the Ritchers' child went missing for more than a month yet not once did they mention it to the police or anyone else for that matter?

More than this, as it turns out, the police officer that had taken Frisk from the monsters' was found to have been bribed into doing so and told to keep the whole thing quiet afterwards.

The judge was appalled at the whole thing. They excused the monsters from the kidnapping charges. Letting them go with a warning and community service under the circumstances was deemed adequate.

As for the Ritchers, an investigation was put in place.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, they were back in court, accused of negligence and child abuse.

Frisk no longer needed to go back to the family house. And, having no other known family, they were put up for foster care.

Toriel did everything she could to be the first in line for the adoption.

It took months for things to progress and the social worker in charge of Frisk did everything she could to make sure that the peculiar household that was Toriel's was suited for adoption. 

They nearly lost Frisk at the very beginning of the process because of the kidnapping charges.

But, as the social worker examined the relationship between the child and the monsters, she couldn't deny it was doing them a lot of good. 

It had played in the monsters' favor since Frisk barely opened up as soon as they were with anyone else.

Finally, long after the initial court hearing, Frisk was going home with Toriel.

The first thing they did upon realising that it was real; that it was actually happening; that they were home for good, was to blind Toriel with an enormous smile.

She responded by holding her arms out. Frisk gave her the best hug they could manage; their arms were too small to even reach Toriel's back, but it didn't matter.

When the hug was over they stepped back, searching for something under their shirt's collar. They slowly lifted the heart-shaped locket from under it. (They'd gotten it back along with their other possessions when they left their biological parents' house.)

Frisk opened up the locked, frowning as the small latch gave them a hard time.

They placed the microchip in the middle of Toriel's palm before gently closing the locket and looking up to smile at her again.

They didn't need the tracker anymore.

They had done it. Everything was fine. They were fine. They were good. They were home.

Frisk felt determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is actually the last of it. I have trouble believing that somehow.
> 
> But seriously, the support I recieve on this fic has been amazing. At some point it was pretty much the only thing that kept me going so thank you all.
> 
> On an other note, you might have noticed that this fic is now part of a series. Well, if you recall, my first note mentionned something about sign language... Yeah, I don't see it anywhere either. So, I have a few short stories about this universe that I want to write still. I'm not sure how many there'll be and I might not even post them regularly (since when does that happen anyway) but they'll be here at some point.
> 
> ...And this note might be getting longer than the chapter by now, so I'll be off. For now.


End file.
